Revolutionize and Take Risks

This past week was Computer Science Education Week and it was a great experience at Fairfield High. So many students and staff members participated in the Hour of Code events during Advisory and in other periods of the day. The idea behind Hour of Code was to introduce Computer Science and coding to our students. The exciting part, teachers are already hearing from students that now want to sign up for our Computer Science classes next year!!! It is so important to continue to be on the cutting edge. Think of ways that you can revolutionize education and take risks. Students want to learn; we need to think of ways to engage. Capitalize on the excitement for innovation we saw last week! The passion is there!

Here is a video compilation of some of the moments from Hour of Code at FHS. I have also included the link to the Celebrity Video Chat that we participated in on Thursday.

This is going to be a short but busy week. Finals are Wed and Thursday and then the first semester is over!! Remember that Friday morning I will be cooking breakfast for all of you. Join us in the library for waffles, sausage, fruit, coffee, and a Good Time!!

Our ONE goal: To graduate every Fairfield High Student and to ensure that they leave FHS college and career ready!!! Inspire, Engage, Excite, Lead, Foster, Create, Empower!!

Many more great things are in store for Fairfield High!

Continue to be innovative, creative, and a model of excellence! 

HAVE A GREAT WEEK

Looking forward to the Hour of Code

Next week is Computer Science Education Week. In an effort to spread the message about the importance of computer science, Code.org started The Hour of Code last year. It was an unbelievable success world wide. This year is the second Hour of Code and will be even bigger!!

As a school site we have signed our entire site up to participate. That means all of our students and all of our staff members will participate. We have dedicated to participating during Advisory on Tuesday and Thursday, but you can do more with the rest of your classes if you want to! For those of you that may be asking the question, "Why should we participate in the Hour of Code?" or "How is computer science important to my students?" Here are a few answers from the Code.org website and co-founder Hadi Partovi.

What is the Hour of Code?

The Hour of Code is a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify code and show that anybody can learn the basics. 

Why computer science?

Every student should have the opportunity to learn computer science. It helps nurture problem-solving skills, logic and creativity. By starting early, students will have a foundation for success in any 21st-century career path. See more stats on Code.org.

Who is behind the Hour of Code?

The Hour of Code is organized by Code.org, a public 501c3 non-profit dedicated to expanding participation in computer science by making it available in more schools, and increasing participation by women and underrepresented students of color. An unprecedented coalition of partners have come together to support the Hour of Code, too — including Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, Boys and Girls Clubs of America and the College Board.

Which activity should I do with high school students?

Across all ages, we recommend trying one of the beginner tutorials on Code.org/learn to start, such as the tutorial with Angry Birds or with Anna and Elsa. A high school student should be able to finish one of these in 30 minutes and can then try a more advanced tutorial in JavaScript, such as KhanAcademy or CodeHS.

There are quite a few good videos on Youtube that speak to the importance and relevance of learning computer science. I have included a few here for you to watch and show your students. You can hear from Susan Wojcicki, the CEO of Youtube, Mark Zuckerberg creator of Facebook, and many more. 

Super Exciting News!!! Out of the 70,000 schools signed up to participate in the Hour of Code, Fairfield High was one of 96 schools chosen to participate in a Live Celebrity Video Chat!!!! My Advisory class and Mr. Patterson's Advisory class will participate on Thursday in the live chat with Jess Lee.   The entire chat will be recorded and posted afterwards on the Code.org Youtube channel. 

Jess Lee is CEO and Co-Founder of Polyvore.  Prior to co-founding Polyvore, Jess was a product manager at Google, where she worked on Google maps and launched features like My Maps and draggable driving directions.  Jess has a degree in computer science from Stanford University. 

Our ONE goal: To graduate every Fairfield High Student and to ensure that they leave FHS college and career ready!!! Inspire, Engage, Excite, Lead, Foster, Create, Empower!!

Many more great things are in store for Fairfield High!

Continue to be innovative, creative, and a model of excellence! 

HAVE A GREAT WEEK